Rotor & Wing Magazine :: Commercial :: Observation/Patrol

Becker Avionics International develops, manufactures and distributes the latest communications, navigation, surveillance and search & rescue (SAR) equipment for airborne and ground applications. For more than 50 years, Becker Avionics has provided avionics equipment to general and corporate aviation, ATC, law enforcement and military organizations around the world. Becker Avionics is dedicated to...

REBTECH, a division of REB Technologies, was founded in 1996 by Dick Borkowski. He had firsthand knowledge of night vision goggle (NVG) green filters and the problems associated with light transmission and color rendering. Borkow- ski’s goal was to create NVG lighting solutions for military and civilian pilots alike. Although the company started in 1996, its three main principals have been working in...

The Light Helicopter Division of Sikorsky Global Helicopters, a business unit of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., serves many markets in today’s aviation industry with its range of piston- and turbine-powered helicopters and dedication to meeting the changing technological demands of the global aerospace community. A skilled workforce, outstanding engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and a commitment...

TRAINING/ACCIDENT PREVENTION U.S. helicopter accidents can be drastically reduced, and we have the fact-based recommendations to do it: That was the message at the International Helicopter Safety Symposium, held from Sept. 29-Oct. 2 in Montreal, Canada. Hosted by the Intl Helicopter Safety Team (IHST)—the global industry-government group committed to reducing accident rates by 80 percent by...

PRODUCTS/AIRFRAMES FAA has published an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) related to the tail boom of the AgustaWestland AW139 and AB139. According to a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) alert, the tail boom of a Gulf Helicopters-operated AW139 bent and collapsed while taxiing on August 25 in Doha, Qatar. In addition, EASA discovered...

PRODUCTS/AVIONICS & INSTRUMENTS Helicopter accidents, especially those involving emergency medical services (EMS) flights, have been getting a lot of bad, but well-deserved press recently. The increasing number of helicopter EMS (HEMS) fatalities has also caught the eye of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which early this September issued a revised recommendation letter outlining 19...

Priority 1 considers cross training, crew interoperability and teamwork as fundamental to its Class D basic hoist rescue course. TRAINING/SEARCH & RESCUE Search and rescue (SAR) is a crowded arena with many players—from the U.S. military and Coast Guard (USCG) to local police and fire departments. These organizations vary widely, and their training reflects that, though there is a...

PERSONAL/CORPORATE American Eurocopter has handed over two EC120s in recent weeks — to JRW Aviation and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit in Indiana. Dallas, Texas-based JRW will perform corporate and VIP...

If you are a regular reader, you will have seen Ernie Stephens’ last column about having fun, which is what Ernie is off to do. But everyone has their own definition of fun. So let me tell you a little bit about myself and that might explain what I think is fun. My background is more about aviation than journalism, even though I find myself at the helm of this amazing publication. I have been...

Clarification The caption for the image on pages 26 and 27 of the August 2009 issue stated that it was an unmanned K-MAX aerial truck. Several people wrote in to point out that, in fact, there was a person on board and he can clearly be seen in the photograph. To clarify, the photograph was taken during Lockheed Martin and Kaman testing in July. There was a safety pilot on board, as can be clearly seen...

PUBLIC SERVICE Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland (AW) has received orders for five AW139s — four from the government of Trinidad and Tobago and one from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The LAFD helicopter will join two AW139s that conduct search and rescue (SAR), aerial firefighting and medevac operations in the city and surrounding areas. AW...

COMMERCIAL FAA has granted organization designation authorization (ODA) to American Eurocopter, Grand Prairie, Texas. The approval enables the helicopter manufacturer to act on behalf of the U.S. regulatory agency when issuing and...

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